Case History: Juan Francisco Martínez
On 5 January 2015, the body of human rights defender Mr Juan Francisco Martínez was found in the village of Tapuyman in the Santa Elena Municipality of La Paz. The human rights defender, whose body bore marks of torture, had been killed on 4 January 2015.
Juan Francisco Martínez was a member of the Movimiento Indígena Lenca de la Paz - Honduras – MILPAH (Lenca Independent Movement of La Paz - Honduras), and worked on issues relating to the rights to water, land and territory for the Lenca community. MILPAH is also supported by the Centro Hondureño de Promoción al Desarrollo Comunitario – CEHPRODEC (Honduran Centre for the Promotion of Community Development). Two concessions have been approved for the construction of hydroelectric projects in the municipality of San Jose and the town of Santa Elena. Local communities are opposed to these mega-projects and the negative impact they will have on their already limited access to natural resources.
On 5 January 2015, the body of human rights defender Mr Juan Francisco Martínez was found in the village of Tapuyman in the Santa Elena Municipality of La Paz. The human rights defender, whose body bore marks of torture, had been killed on 4 January 2015.
When the human rights defender's body was found, it showed signs of torture, as well as having been stabbed a number of times in the chest. One of his hands was still tied with what appeared to be laces from military boots. The assassination comes in the context of death threats received by Juan Francisco Martínez and his family since August 2014, and the killing of his son in July 2014. On 11 January 2015, a request for an investigation into the killing was filed before the Public Prosecution's Office.
